Petrino to become new Falcons coach

[Reds Fanatic]

Louisville's Bob Petrino is in contract negotations to become the new Falcons head coach. The deal may be announced as soon as tomorrow.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2723700

ATLANTA -- Louisville coach Bob Petrino is the choice of the Atlanta Falcons to succeed Jim Mora as head coach, several league sources confirmed Sunday night, and the team is in contract negotiations aimed at securing a contract agreement that could lead to a Monday announcement of his hiring.

Sources stressed that Petrino, 45, has yet to accept the position, but that the two sides were moving toward an agreement.

The highly-regarded Petrino is known for his creative offensive designs and the priority of Falcons' brass is to land a head coach capable of getting the most from quarterback Michael Vick's talents.

[Joseph]

I think Vick, while undeniably gifted athletically, is never going to be what is expected of him. Were I a coach looking to jump to the NFL, this is not a destination I would seek for my first stop.

[paintmered]

He accepted, per ESPN. 5 years, $24MM.

[Blimpie]

Originally Posted by Joseph

I think Vick, while undeniably gifted athletically, is never going to be what is expected of him. Were I a coach looking to jump to the NFL, this is not a destination I would seek for my first stop.

Exactly. But no matter--Petrino is nothing more than a mini-version of Nick Saban.

Give him a few years to simmer with those 20 hour NFL days, and he'll be calling Auburn to see if they still have a man-crush on him.

Happiest man on the planet tonight: Rick Pitino

[DoogMinAmo]

This sucks for Big East football, and would seem to kill the Cards' chances at becoming a powerhouse. Good for UC football though!

[dougdirt]

To me all this says is that Brian Brohm is now going to declare for the draft, and should be the first quarterback taken.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Joseph

I think Vick, while undeniably gifted athletically, is never going to be what is expected of him. Were I a coach looking to jump to the NFL, this is not a destination I would seek for my first stop.

Not unless he was given complete control of the roster to bring in a QB that fits the type of offense he wants to run.

It's an interesting quandry that McKay and the Falcons have -- on one hand, Micheal Vick is probably never going to reach the level of consistent play necessary for him to lead Atlanta to a championship. He's a lot like Kordell Stewart in that regard -- capable of looking fantastic for stretches at a time, but ultimately too up and down to be useful. Stewart, like Vick, almost rode a hot stretch to the Super Bowl, but didn't have what it took when he had to beat a superior defense in the playoffs.

On the other hand, Vick sells tickets (and lots of them) for the Falcons. He is the face of the franchise and a guy like Arthur Blank who makes a living on things like "brand awareness" would be hard pressed to give him his walking papers without something else coming in behind him.

If Petrino can jettison Vick, it might be a good spot for him to land. If he's stuck with Vick for his tenure in ATL, I don't expect him to be their coach for much longer than 3 years.

[Buckeye33]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

To me all this says is that Brian Brohm is now going to declare for the draft, and should be the first quarterback taken.

Russell and Quinn will be drafted ahead of Brohm. As well, depending on how Troy Smith does at the combines he could also go ahead of Brohm.

Russell and Smith are going to benefit big time from how well Vince Young did this season when everyone thought it would take 3+ years before he contributed.

[George Foster]

The University of Kentucky says....thank-you! I say thank-you!


The owner said per ESPN that Petrino would decide Vicks future with the Falcons. Look for a trade, He has NFL experience, former OC of the Jags in 2001. So he knows what he's getting himself into.

I'd take Brohm over any QB. He's a future Manning, not Eli.

[KoryMac5]

I think Atlanta keeps Vick for another year to see if they can make any improvements to Vick's game.

[KronoRed]

I say he's back in the college ranks in 3 years tops.

[LoganBuck]

John L Smith anyone?

[HotCorner]

Vick will not be the Falcons starting QB next season. Matt Schaub will hold that title.

[jmac]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

I say he's back in the college ranks in 3 years tops.

how about it playing out like this :

petrino fired from atl after 4 seasons.
rich brooks says with program now on move....he is retiring.
petrino accepts job as next UK coach
UK fans say " take that rick p" !

[WMR]

Originally Posted by jmac

how about it playing out like this :

petrino fired from atl after 4 seasons.
rich brooks says with program now on move....he is retiring.
petrino accepts job as next UK coach
UK fans say " take that rick p" !

Nice! I like it!